When You Left
by Torrencee
Summary: Ryo has been miserable since Rika left him. He got a scholarship to go to university in New York City, and decided to take this chance to start again in life. Is this going to work? Will Ryo and Rika confront each other and face the past?
1. Introduction

I'm finally back on this website writing again. It's been a really long time, but I decided to start this new project I would love to finish, and put a lot of effort into. Ryo and Rika are by far my favorite couple in Digimon, so I decided to write a fanfiction about them. Ideas are always welcome as well as positive feedback. Thank you all so much for taking your time reading this.

 **At The Airport**

I guess this is it. It's time for me to leave it all behind, and take this chance. Take the scholarship, leave this hell, and her forever, so I never come back. I was an idiot in the first place for thinking this could ever workout between us right? Rika.

As I put a step in the plane I realized that my chance of seeing her again would vanish. Giving up any hope I let out a sigh of relief as I knew my heart would finally have a chance to be fixed.

 **New York City Airport**

Finally arriving to my destination I started thinking about how strange it would be to start going to university in the United States. In a way I felt like I was finally able to start again, leaving all the shit that has followed me over the years. Let's just say I couldn't wait to be at my new room already. It's been a long day.

 **At The Dorm**

I put all of my stuff away, met my roommates, and got ready for bed as I got comfortable, I close my eyes, my body falling into a deep sleep.

 _Is this Rika? Rika is that you?_ No, Ryo we can't be together anymore I can't do this I just can't.  
 _No, wait we can get through this._ Stop. You can't simply get through this I can't be reminded of this every time I see your face. _Rika I.._

-Ryo?

\- Hey man are you okay?

\- What happened? Why are you guys here?

\- Well, we wouldn't worry if you weren't talking in your sleep.

\- Oh I see. Anyway I'm fine I was just having a bad dream.

\- Well, come on get ready.

\- What for?

-You, my friend will be going with us to have a couple drinks before "student responsibilities start"- I could smell the sarcasm in his voice I assumed I was in the dorm with the guys who come here for anything but studying, but who was I kidding? I needed a couple drinks anyway.

Out of my misery I got to know my roommates better. There was Javier, Sebastian, and Alexander. I was a couple years older than them. It seemed like the more wasted I got the more I wanted to get the hell out of there. This school year was going to be a piece of shit and I knew it. All because of _you._

-Hey Ryo Ryo hey Ryo?

I heard Alexander call my name a couple times then my world turn black.

 **The Next Morning**

-What the fuck happened?

\- Morning.

\- What? Yuri is that you?

-Surprise Surprise. Who would have thought we would see each other here in New York City right?

\- Yeah I..

\- Your friends happen to know me, and well, asked me what to do with their friend blacked out on the floor.

-I probably shouldn't even be here.

-It's fine. It's my own apartment.

\- I don't understand. How did you end up here?

\- Honestly I don't even know. I got the chance to take this scholarship since I got out of high school because of my grades, but I decided that the right moment to come would be when I was ready to leave it all behind.

-You mean when you disappeared two years ago without telling anyone a thing?

-Yeah.. I didn't want Takato to stop me. I'm sorry.

-What about us? We were all friends.

\- Exactly "were" – I knew something was bugging her. There was something more to this than just what she was saying.

-Ryo I. My father passed away. I felt like I had nothing else to do in japan after that. It destroyed me that everything in my life somehow seemed to _disappear._ I didn't know what to do anymore. I didn't want to feel empty again, and chose to leave. I hope you can understand.

I realized I wasn't the only one who was having one hell of a life, but Yuri here alone? I find it somewhat relieving that I could see one of my old friends even though she probably doesn't even consider me one anymore. I knew a particular question was about to come out. I just didn't know how to answer it.

-What about Rika?

\- Shouldn't you be the one to know? You guys were best friends. - I said quite bitter about the topic.

-Don't lie Yuri I know you've kept in touch with her.

-No, You are wrong. I haven't spoken to her in a year. - In a year? How could that even happen? They would tell each other almost everything except when Rika was in a terrible mood.

\- We broke up.

-Was it because of..

-Yes. – I wasn't going to talk about details I didn't want to remember, so I just cut her off before she decided to mention it.

-I see.

-I think I should be leaving. Thanks for letting me stay here tonight. – As I made my way out of the door I couldn't help but wonder why life makes even the happiest people so bitter. Yuri looked like she had nothing to lose in life anymore. She reminded me of me.

-I'm such a miserable fuck. – I cursed between my teeth. It was so cold I decided to stop by at a nearby Starbucks to get high on the caffeine I desperately needed.

-Uhm could I please get a double shot of espresso, thanks.

-That will be $3.50-

It felt like the longest wait in my life for just a cup of coffee till it suddenly arrived.

-Here, thank you for coming to Starbucks. - As I turned around I stupidly bumped into someone. I heard her curse at me, but all I could think of was how I'd recognize that voice anywhere in this planet.

-What kind of fucking idiot are you? Do you not watch where you are going? - I stared at her shocked.

-Ri-Rika?


	2. Wait, What?

-Ri-Rika? -

-Ugh what? Ryo? Wh-What are you doing here? –

-I well.. – I got cut off before I could even finished, she was just as surprised as I was. The amount of questions I wanted to ask her were going through my mind at a crazy speed. I could tell I wasn't the only one who wanted to have a nice talk, but knowing Rika well, I knew she would rather die than come sit next to me and have a chat.

\- No, actually, I have to go. I'm quite late already. I... I uhm, sorry. I watched her rush out from the café in quite a hurry.

Out of all the places in the world we had to bump into each other again, Rika, here? Could this mean that fate has something ready for us that we don't know quite yet or maybe it's time we face what really happened between us.

-Look man, it's Rika Nonaka! She's smoking hot.-

Huh? I couldn't help but turn around as I was walking by a bookstore which had a bunch of magazines on display. Funny thing is that the girl on the cover was none other than Rika, just like this Dumbass said. I decided to play stupid and act like I didn't know her. How ironic right?

-Rika? Who is this chick?-

-Oh, hey man, everybody's been talking about her. She's the famous model from japan who decided to move to the U.S to finish her university studies. People say she received a full scholarship to the best university in this town. However, rumor has it the break up with her stupid ex-boyfriend forced her to move on and take this opportunity.-

-I guess I must be that stupid ex-boyfriend then...- I mumbled, as I walked away. I honestly hated watching all these guys go testosterone crazy over her with blind sexual desires. I knew who she was she was definitely more than a woman with a hot body and a gorgeous face. She was the same person who brought me to tears and at the same time who brought joy in my life.

I arrived at the dorm exhausted from the shitty day I had. The boys looked at me with a "let's go out" gestures, which I rejected. The last thing I needed was to have another crazy drunken night with them to most likely end up at another "friend's" house. As trashed as I was, I couldn't stop myself from thinking about her and the fact that I found her in New York City. Also, now she's apparently in every magazine cover. Funnily enough, I'm the rumored stupid-ass ex-boyfriend who was holding Rika back.

-Bleh, class starts tomorrow. I can only imagine how disgusting that will be.-

 **Next Day**

-GET OUT OF MY WAY, GET OUT OF MY WAY. - Sebastian came flying down the hallway as he yelled.

-What the fu...-

-Sebastian? Is that you?-

-Yo, guys why the hell are you guys walking for? You don't wanna be late for the first day of class, now, do you?-

-Dude, we are 30 minutes early.-

-Oh shit, are we? Damn, Javier always keeping track aren't you? Ha! Funny, because I was just testing you.-

-Yeah, whatever..-

Before they tried to play smart, I decided to cut them off.

-Looks like we don't have any classes together.-

-Seriously, Ryo? What is this shit?- Javier says taking the paper away from my hands.

-Give me that fucking paper, Javier!-

-Let's see, let's see HA! Got it, wow man you have class with that hot Japanese girl.-

-What? How do you know this? - I stared in shock.

-Let's just say Sebastian lacks a life and he somehow knows all the cute girls' schedules.-

-Oh great, just my luck. - I cursed to myself.

I walked in the classroom, and saw that the only spot left was the one next to the girl who didn't even want to look at me. We were both placed in a very awkward position when the teacher made us do a stupid assignment with the person we were sitting next to.

-Hey Rika. - I couldn't even look at her straight in the eye, especially after all the shit that happened yesterday.

-I guess no matter how hard I try to avoid you, I just always seem to find you... near me.-

-Funny, because I came here for that reason.-

-Can we just do this stupid worksheet, and get out of here?-

-Can we not at least have a talk after school?-

-Maybe, I'll think about it. How about that?-

-We both know how that will end up- I said jokingly-

-Oh, Ryo, you don't wanna piss your ex-girlfriend off today.-

-Let me guess, it's one of those days?-

-I legit want to kill you.-

I took the assignment, and just wrote the words "I love you" and then I excused myself out of the classroom.


	3. Crossing Paths

Rika's Pov.

I read the note on the assignment speechless. Ryo always made things more complicated than they had to be. When we decided to break up it was so we wouldn't see each other again, and I could move on with my life, but somehow he always managed to be in it. I decide to get up and excuse myself from the classroom lying saying that I was feeling fatigued.

As I go running looking for Ryo quite desperately I find him sitting outside by the pool. All that went through my mind is why he still loved me even after all the things we've been through in the past.

-Ryo I..-

-Who would have ever thought you'd come looking for me? Right Pumpkin? - He said as I sighed relieved to find him, but out of breath from running.

-Can you at least explain to me what that was about? Why the hell would you write such crap on the assignment? -

-What do you expect me to tell you Rika? Out of all the places on earth I have to find you here while I'm trying to get away from you so I could get over you. This is fucking toxic for the both of us. The truth is we are both BAD FOR EACH OTHER. All we do is just hurt each other every single time. -  
I knew him too well to not know that he wanted to break down just as bad as I did, but then there was my pride. Something I just couldn't let go of so easily, but then he hit me when he said what I was avoiding for so long.

-You know as well as me that this whole thing started the moment our baby died when it was born Rika. -

That's right, I wanted to forget that so badly. Let it go of my life and as hard as tried I just couldn't let go of the fact that we had a baby, and how it died the day it was born due to the numerous problems I had during my pregnancy. People would say it was destiny, we were both meant to learn and grow from this, but all I felt was as if I was drowning in a deep ocean of thoughts as well as Illusions I had of our future together of what it could have been. The way I slowly lost myself and who I was because of this. The way Ryo would try so hard to lift me up from the never ending drowning, however, no matter how hard he tried I couldn't. That's how I fell into a deep depression.

My problem was that I didn't feel like I could be with him after all of that happened. I couldn't tell him that because of all the problems I had during my pregnancy and the delivery itself I wouldn't be able to have a child of my own anymore. If I couldn't give the man that I love a child of his own, I sure as hell felt like I didn't deserve him.

Tears started to run down my cheeks without my permission. I realized it's been a while since I felt so weak as well as pathetic till I finally had the courage to speak.

-What the hell do you want me to say Ryo? Yes, I love you, I've always loved you. After this situation happened with the baby. I noticed I was in a situation where I couldn't give you what you wanted anymore Ryo. I'm incapable of having another child. I do want you to be happy and be able to achieve your dreams instead of being with someone like me. I'm liability. -

-What is so bad about being with someone like you Rika? I've been through hell and back because of you. I just can't get over you no matter how hard I try. What happened with the baby was something that broke both of our hearts, and even though you were hiding the fact that you can't conceive a child anymore I already knew about all that. ALL OF IT. I've known since day one, but it doesn't stop me from loving you. -

I felt him approach me while I just keep on crying my eyes out in front of the man that means the whole entire world even though I'd never admit it to his face. He wraps me around his arms in a warm tight hug. I don't return it, but I let myself feel loved by him one last time before we decide to that the both of us have to move on with our lives.

9 years later

Ryo's Pov.

Hard to believe it's been nine years. I became a well-known writer. I've published a couple of books, and till this day my favorite one will be "When The Petals Fall" It's the story between Rika and I. That's right it's only a memory now. I haven't seen her ever since our last talk at the pool of the school. Tough decision we both had to make. After talking we both moved on with our lives. Yes, there was love, but there was no way for us to grow if we were going to be torturing each other over the past that we had. Maybe destiny will decide to reunite us once again, but she's someone I will always keep in my heart. _She's the one that got away._

When she would get asked what her favorite book was she would say without a doubt it was "When The Petals Fall" as no one could take away the sincere smile from her lips.

The End


End file.
